Harvest Surveys

If you often fish the Texas coastal waters, you have probably ended a fishing trip at a boat ramp to find someone waiting for you with a clipboard in hand. As you pull your boat out or walk to your vehicle, they ask if you would mind answering some questions. These interviews, also referred to as harvest or creel surveys, are conducted to gather information about the anglers and their fishing trip. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) cap or shirt with a TPWD logo or patch identifies this person as a Coastal Fisheries Division biologist or technician.

Sometimes anglers are hesitant or suspicious of the situation, and many anglers probably wonder, "What is the purpose of the survey?"

Creel surveys provide much-needed information used by TPWD to effectively assess and make management decisions regarding the coastal fisheries of Texas. The study has been ongoing since 1974, with some modifications and refinements through the years. The main objectives of the study are to estimate daytime annual fishing pressure, landings, catch rates, and species and size compositions. These estimates are for sport-boat anglers on trips lasting 12 hours or less.

The first objective, daytime annual fishing pressure, can be thought of as effort in man-hours. This effort is the amount of time used to harvest fish. The clock starts ticking when you leave the dock. When a trip ends, the man-hours can then be calculated. Currently, all surveys are conducted between 10 AM and 6 PM. Previous studies have shown that this is the time period in which the vast majority of boaters return from their fishing trips.

Landings are the number of fish harvested. We ask if we can measure your fish, either dockside or by climbing aboard your boat. While measuring, we record the total number of each species landed while trying to keep slime off the datasheets. Unfortunately, this can also be an uncomfortable part of the survey. Rarely, some landings are under the legal size limit. We will only inform the angler of the correct size for that particular species; we (surveyors) do not issue tickets. After all, if undersized fish make up part of the landings, we need to know that, too. We do encourage compliance to all size, bag and possession limits, and even have pocketsize information cards to give to fishermen as a reminder.

The third objective, catch rate, is the harvest divided by the effort (i.e. fish per hour). The catch rate serves as an indicator of resource availability or fishing success. For example, if fishing effort (man hours) decreases over time, but landings increase, this could indicate an increase in the overall population. The anglers are catching more fish in a shorter period of time. Catch rates can expose these trends and help fisheries managers assess fish stocks. Catch rates are commonly referred to as catch-per-unit effort (CPUE).

Species and size compositions indicate what kinds and sizes of fish are being harvested. What difference does it make how big the fish are? If a certain species is harvested before it has time to spawn, it could cause some problems with the fishery. Previous studies have been conducted to determine age-at-length tables. These tables help determine the age of a fish by its length. Data from creel surveys have shown that certain species were being harvested before they were able to spawn. In response to those findings, TPWD has set size limits for many popular sport fish to allow them to spawn at least one season.

Survey data can also reveal shifts in the harvest of certain species. Anglers might begin to harvest a species that has previously been uncommon or unpopular. For example, gray snapper landings have increased recently compared to previous years as they have become more common and more sought after.

In addition to the primary objectives of creel surveys already discussed, other important information is collected. This includes information about the anglers themselves, such as their geographic origin. Knowing the geographic origin of anglers can help fisheries managers direct information their way. For instance, managers know that a significant number of coastal fishers come from the Texas hill country, including San Antonio and northwestward. We know that we should use local media sources to get information to these coastal resource users.

Here are the most recent harvest estimates. During the 2007-2008 survey year, a total of 31,832 private-boat and 4,397 party-boat anglers were interviewed. Combined, those anglers expended an estimated 6.33 million angler-hours to land 1.84 million finfish.

The next time you are approached, just remember that if it were not for anglers willing to answer survey questions, all of this important information would be lost. The ongoing assessment and management of our coastal fisheries depends in large part upon your continued participation. We look forward to seeing you at the boat ramp.